1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to rotatable labels, and more particularly to a system and method for constructing a rotatable label device.
2. Description of the Background Art
Most consumer product containers are labeled with various types of information, such as product directions for use, warnings, dosage amounts, ingredients, advertisements, artwork, and the like. This information normally takes the form of written indicia presented on a label wrapped around the container. In many instances, however, the available space on a single label is insufficient to display all the information a product manufacturer may wish to present.
To provide additional space for the presentation of information on a given container, it has been proposed that an outer label positioned around an inner label may be employed. The outer label typically has a transparent portion and, by rotating the outer label relative to an inner label attached to the container, the information on the inner label can be viewed through the transparent portion. Such a construction permits information to be presented on both the outer and inner labels, thus substantially increasing the available space upon which information may be presented.
Despite the advantages of having a rotating label on a container, it has been cumbersome to employ rotating labels, in most circumstances due, to the high cost and difficulty of applying such a rotating label to a container. One significant difficulty has been that the cost of applying rotating labels to containers (on a mass production scale) has been prohibitive for many applications. Conventionally, labels are applied to containers by applying a permanent adhesive to either the label or the container and then wrapping the label around the container to adhere the label to the container. This manner of application yields a label that is fixed, and not rotatable, relative to the container. This manner of application has, in the past, not been useful in mounting rotatable labels to containers because of the need for the rotatable label to rotate about, and not be permanently affixed to, the container.
Consequently, a need exists to provide a system and method by which a rotatable label may be cost-effectively mounted on a container without preventing the label from being rotatable relative to the container. Additionally, a need exists to provide an effective manner of mounting a rotating label to a container utilizing conventional label application machinery.
The present invention overcomes or substantially alleviates prior problems associated with the provision of a rotatable label. In general, an outer label, having a temporary adhesive disposed on a back surface adjacent to the label""s leading edge, is temporarily coupled to a container. The outer label is then wrapped and secured around the container by placing the back surface trailing edge of the label, which has a permanent adhesive disposed on it, in contact with the leading edge front surface of the outer label. After the outer label is permanently secured about the container, the outer label is rotated relative to the container thereby subjecting the temporary adhesion to shear stresses and causing the temporary adhesion between the outer label and the inner container to fail. Once the temporary adhesion between the outer label and the container has been broken, the outer label may freely rotate about the container. Hence, the temporary adhesive temporarily couples the outer label to the container while the label is being wrapped about the container, but easily breaks free to permit the outer label to rotate relative to the container.
An alternative embodiment of the present invention entails applying the temporary adhesive to the container""s exterior surface instead of applying the temporary adhesive to the back surface of the outer label. In another embodiment, the container has a fixed inner label and an outer rotatable label is coupled to the container via the fixed inner label. In addition to the above embodiments, in order to facilitate rotation of the outer label with respect to the inner label, a slip agent can be applied between the back surface of the outer label and the front surface of the inner label.
Additional features, advantages, and details will be apparent from the drawings and the detailed description as set forth below.